You asked: Does a vote for RFK Jr. hurt Trump?

Participants of our recent live chat mused about what effect third-party votes have on presidential candidates for major political parties. A reader named Cathy asked, “If they vote Kennedy, that hurts Trump. Correct?”

This is an open question. Democrats are not so sure the net effect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent campaign is in their favor. The argument begins with the idea that former president Donald Trump has more commitment from his voters, so anyone pulling votes away could hurt President Biden more.

There are also polls that show Cornel West, who is also running an independent campaign, and Kennedy are performing well among young people and Black voters, both Democratic base groups. But that could change. If Kennedy runs on the Libertarian ballot, it could hurt Republicans more. And it remains to be seen how both the polls and the Kennedy campaign shake out.

Read the transcript from the third-party chat here.